For the Love of the Game
by Sprite Stalker
Summary: Lauren Walker, Quidditch Obsessor Extraordinaire. But suddenly, a near-fatal injury keeps her from ever playing Quidditch again, and there's only one person who can help her now...
1. Lauren and Quidditch

**_¤~For the Love of the Game~¤_**__

_by Sprite Stalker_

The northern English team was founded in 1612.  Its robes are pale blue, emblazoned with a silver arrow.  Arrows fans will agree that their team's most glorious hour was their 1932 defeat of the team who were then the European champions, the Vratsa Vultures, in a match that lasted sixteen days in conditions of dense fog and rain—

"Lauren, are you reading that _again_?" Kyree demanded.

"Sure, why not?" Lauren looked up from her book. Her brown eyes surveyed Kyree's green ones.

"Haven't you memorized it by now?" Kyree looked at her best friend skeptically.

"Hey, I've only got so much time in between lessons, meals, Quidditch practice and saving the world!" Lauren shot back. She cleared her throat. "_Quidditch Through The Ages is one of the most popular titles in the Hogwarts school library—_"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Kyree shook her head. "Anyway, you'd better head down to the locker room. The game is in half an hour, and if you're late, Adrian's gonna kick your butt again."

"All right, all right, I'll be down in five minutes. Let me just go grab my broom." Lauren snapped the book shut and dashed up to the fourth-year girls' dorms. She passed four of the beds and stopped at the fifth one. She tossed the book on her bed, letting it land with a soft _thud_. Then she dropped to her knees, peered under her bed and grabbed her broomstick. As she stood up, she admired it. It was a rather good broom, not top-of-the-line, but pretty good. In fact, it only had come out three months ago, and she was one of the only four people at Hogwarts to own one. It was a Windsurfer 260, as the label on the handle projected so proudly, yet so subtly. The only broom above it was a Silver Sprinter. Kyree was lucky enough to own one of those. Lauren was often jealous of Kyree's broomstick, since Kyree was a Beater and didn't need to move very fast, while Lauren, on the other hand, was a Keeper, and would put a Silver Sprinter to much better use. But then she would remind herself that jealousy was an ugly thing, and her Windsurfer was already spectacular on the Quidditch pitch.

Lauren tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and left the dorms, with her broomstick leaned up against her shoulder like a rifle.

"Took you long enough," Kyree commented as she examined a chunk of her brown hair for split ends, bored. "I thought the civilization under your bed would've gotten you and adopted you as one of their own by now." She grinned. Lauren rolled her eyes.

"Come on, are you coming or not? Where are your club and your Sprinter?"

"I already have them in the locker room. Let's go before Adrian gets angry!" Kyree whined.

**~*~**

Adrian Murray, the captain and one of the Chasers on his house's Quidditch team, paced anxiously. The Seeker, two Chasers, and remaining Beater watched him as he sweated profusely.

"Where are they…" he muttered as a vein in his temple began to throb.

Just then, Lauren and Kyree burst in. Both began speaking at once.

"Sorry we're late, Adrian-"

"Won't happen again, Adrian-"

"Excuses, excuses!" Adrian said loudly. Both of them shut up, stifling their giggles. He sighed. "Change into your Quidditch robes and get ready for the game. It's starting in about a minute and a half."

"You've been counting?" Sherry, the Seeker, piped up. Adrian shot her a death glare.

Lauren pulled off her black school robes, revealing her jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. She threw on her Quidditch robes. Kyree did the same.

"You guys ready?"

"I was born ready," Lauren said determinedly.

"Uh oh, looks like Lauren's in her Quidditch mode again," Sherry announced. Everyone knew that Lauren was obsessed with Quidditch, and when it came to playing the game, there was nothing that could tear her attention from the game. She was even more focused on the sport than the captains of the teams were. Everyone knew that when Adrian graduated at the end of this year, Lauren would fill his spot, and people would joke that all the players on the other teams would quit, for fear of annihilation. But Lauren would simply say, "I'm not obsessed, I'm just dedicated."

And she was. Ever since she had attended her first Quidditch match when she was six, she was hooked. When she was eight, her father gave Lauren her first broomstick – a Nimbus 2000. She loved flying…

"Lauren? Lauren! Are you finished daydreaming yet?" Adrian's voice snapped her out of her daydream.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, just reminiscing." She grinned and pulled on her Keeper gloves.

"Lucky… You missed Adrian's pep talk," Kyree said. "God, those things just put ya to sleep!"

"Let's go, they're announcing us!" Adrian replied, ignoring Kyree.

Everyone grabbed their broomsticks and necessary supplies and stood in line – Adrian and Sherry in front, Kyree and the other Beater second, the remaining Chasers behind them, and Lauren last. The gates open, trumpets blared, and the seven players immediately mounted their brooms and zoomed onto the field.

"And here comes the Ravenclaw team! Captain Adrian Murray takes the field, followed by Sherry McGuire as Seeker! Tamara Gold and Sam Hunter heat up today's match as the remaining Chasers, and Kyree Trousdale and Andrew Fletcher warm up their Beater clubs! And who can forget, the Ravenclaw Keeper, Lauren Walker!" the announcer, Gryffindor sixth-year Tom Parry shouted. The students dressed in blue cheered loudly, as well as the Gryffindors. "And now the Slytherins take the field!"

Lauren took her position near the Ravenclaw scoring rings as Tom announced the Slytherins. "Chasers Tracy Filbert, Marcus Hedge and Amanda Ballinger, Beaters Will Accord and James Thomas, Keeper Joey Masseth and Captain Henry Fields on Seeker!"

The green-clad students erupted into cheers. Everyone else booed.

"And Madame Hooch steps onto the field to begin the game!"

The Quidditch professor walked into the middle of pitch. Her yellow eyes surveyed the fourteen players, resting occasionally on the more aggressive players.

"I want a nice, fair game!" she said to the players. "Agreed?" No one said anything. A few of the Chasers on each team nodded slightly. Lauren flexed her right hand, enjoying the crunching sound of the leather glove encasing her fingers. Madame Hooch released the Bludgers and the Snitch. Lauren didn't need to worry about either of those. It was Sherry's job to catch the Snitch; no one else was allowed to even touch the small gold ball. And the Bludgers were the least of Lauren's worries. Kyree and Andrew would take care of those. It was the other team that had to worry about the Bludgers. The only thing Lauren had to pay attention to was the Quaffle.

"As Madame Hooch tosses the Quaffle in the air, the game begins!"

Adrian immediately gained possession of the Quaffle. Lauren watched him duck to avoid a Bludger then pass it to Sam, who dove underneath the Slytherin Seeker and easily scored.

"Ten points to Ravenclaw!" Tom announced. "And it looks like the Ravenclaw Keeper, Lauren Walker, is all revved up! I'd like to see _anyone_ score on her!" Lauren blushed modestly as several blue-clad sections burst into cheers, but she didn't have time to dote on her compliment, because the Slytherin Chaser, Marcus Hedge, was racing toward her on his Firebolt, clutching the Quaffle tightly. Adrian was chasing him full-speed on his Nightracer 12. Marcus halted, and got ready to throw. Lauren surveyed him quickly, and judging by his stance and angle, she decided he was aiming for the middle ring. She got ready to move and right as the ball left his fingertips, she jetted up and to the left several feet, arriving in the exact position she had predicted just as the Quaffle reached her. She caught it easily and threw it to Tamara.

"And a miraculous save by Walker!"

Lauren grinned to herself. There was nothing better than having just prevented the other team from scoring, then watching them scurry away to try to protect their own goal.

Twenty minutes later, the score remained at thirty-nothing Ravenclaw. Marcus was speeding toward her once more, and he was almost about to throw it, but Tom Parry's loud voice pierced through the air.

"Sherry McGuire has caught the Snitch! One hundred and fifty points are awarded to Ravenclaw, ending the match with a score of one-eighty to nothing! Ravenclaw wins!"

The Ravenclaws all cheered as loud as they could. This win meant that they would be facing Gryffindor in the final match of the season for the Quidditch Cup.

**~*~**

Back in the Ravenclaw locker room, after everyone had changed back into their school robes, Adrian stood in front of his teammates, bursting with pride.

"I'm so proud of you guys," he said. "Do you know what this means?"

"No, what?" Lauren asked sarcastically.

"It means that we have a shot at winning the Cup!" Adrian exploded. "That Cup means the world to me, and if we can win in my last year here, then…" He trailed off, unable to express it in words. Everyone looked at him like he needed a new hobby, but then remembered that Lauren was worse than him by far. "And now," he continued. "It is my duty as captain to appoint someone to be the new captain for next year, after I leave."

No one bothered holding their breath; they all knew who it was going to be.

"Lauren Walker."

Everyone clapped politely as Lauren grinned from her spot on the bench. She fingered the end of her Windsurfer modestly.

"Congratulations, Lauren!" Kyree mused, clapping her on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Ky," she replied, trying unsuccessfully to not cry from happiness.

"But just because I'm leaving this year doesn't mean you can slack off!" Adrian shouted to their retreating backs as they left the locker room. "Quidditch practice every weeknight at eight o'clock, and every Saturday at seven!"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Adrian," Sherry called.

Adrian smiled and shook his head to himself as the locker room door banged shut.

a/n: Hmm… you like? I'm working really hard on this one, so I hope you do like it. Windsurfer and Nightracer broomsticks are mine, Silver Sprinter is Kyree's, and Firebolt and Nimbus are (obviously) J. K. Rowling's. In case you didn't pick up on the memo from the subtle clues, this is set about five years after the gang (Harry, Ron, Hermione) all graduate. …Yup.


	2. The Bludger

**_¤~For the Love of the Game~¤_**

_by Sprite Stalker_

It was about three years later. Seventeen-year-old Lauren had served her spot as captain better than anyone could have believed – Ravenclaw was undefeated this year. At the moment, Lauren was hovering near the scoring rings during the final game of the season. They were playing Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw was down by ten. Lauren wasn't worried, however. Sherry was still Seeker, and Lauren had just informed her that she would be taking her position as captain in her sixth year, so Sherry was terribly excited and wanted to show Lauren that she wouldn't be disappointed.

"The score is ninety – eighty, Hufflepuff lead! This could be anyone's game!"

Lauren easily saved the Quaffle and tossed it to the newest Chaser, a second year named Brittany. She smiled as Kyree whacked the nearest Bludger at the Keeper, which narrowly missed his elbow. Just then, she saw Sherry dive at a breakneck speed to the ground. Lauren knew what she was doing; she was pulling the Wronski Feint. Unfortunately, the other Seeker didn't know that, and dove towards the ground as well. Lauren was watching intensely when suddenly she heard Kyree call, "LAUREN, LOOK OUT!" She knew what that meant. It meant that a Bludger was coming. She ducked, but it was too late. She felt the metal ball crack into her skull at a hundred miles an hour. She fell to the ground. Her world spun before her. She floated in and out of consciousness as her teammates gathered around her, worried.

"I'm sorry, Adrian," she whispered to no one in particular. "I'm sorry."

That was the last thing she said before she fainted.

**~*~**

About a week later, Lauren's eyelids fluttered open. She glanced around to find herself in the hospital wing. There were gifts and candy and flowers galore. Sherry and Kyree were sitting next to her bed, conversing quietly. Someone was sitting on the edge of her bed, lifting a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. She looked over. It was Adrian.

"Morning, sunshine," he teased.

"Adrian? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up. "Why aren't you at work?" She knew he had a full-time job at Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley.

"Kyree told me that you got hurt last week, and it was pretty serious, so I took a week off to make sure you were okay," Adrian replied.

"He _likes_ you," Kyree said, grinning.

"I do not," Adrian shot back, glaring at her.

As Kyree and Adrian argued, Lauren surveyed Adrian. He was now twenty years old, but he hardly looked any different. His dark brown hair was slightly lighter, as if he had spent some time in the sun, but otherwise, he was almost exactly the same.

"All right, all right," Kyree gave in. "You don't like Lauren."

"Good. I'm glad we've established that." Adrian grinned and turned back to Lauren. "How're ya feelin'?"

"I'm fine," Lauren replied. "My head hurts a little, but otherwise, I'm fine."

"I got you something," he told her. He reached around behind him and picked up a large, narrow box. He handed it to her, grinning and looking like he was going to explode with anticipation. Lauren looked at the box and recognized it immediately, even though it was wrapped with red shimmery paper.

"Adrian," she said sternly. "You did not just get me a new broomstick."

"Open it, dammit!" he demanded. Lauren sighed and ripped off the paper. She then lifted the box open to reveal a StormRider 3000 – released last month. It was top of the line, better than Kyree's Silver Sprinter.

"Adrian," she began.

"What? Don't you like it?"

"Adrian-"

"That thing is top of the line!"

"Adrian!" she snapped. "Shut up!"

He looked at her.

"Her injury will probably keep her from playing Quidditch ever again," Kyree said quietly. There was a silence.

"WHAT?!" Lauren and Adrian both screeched at once.

"Its true," Sherry confirmed. "Madame Pomfrey said that if she doesn't suffer amnesia, then she'll experience fainting spells for the rest of her life."

Lauren looked down at the new broomstick in her lap. The shiny silver handle with the words _StormRider 3000_ emblazoned in dark blue stared up at her. She felt her stomach churn as she ran her hands lightly over the sleek finish. Kyree's words played through her mind like a Quidditch announcer on a crappy radio. _Her injury will probably keep her from playing Quidditch ever again_… _ever again… ever again…_

She munched on Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans in silence as she wallowed in her misery. Not being able to play Quidditch was worth than a death sentence. She would rather go to Azkaban than be restricted from her favorite sport.

Adrian looked at her with sympathy as her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Quidditch was the love of her life – without it, she was just a girl with nothing to look forward to when she got up in the morning.

Madame Pomfrey wandered in. "You had better get to class," she said to Sherry and Kyree.

"Alright," Kyree agreed, not wanting to get on Madame Pomfrey's bad side again. She looked at Lauren. "We'll be back after dinner." She and Sherry got up to leave.

"Wait," Lauren said. The two girls turned to look back at her. There was a slight pause. "Did we win?"

Kyree and Sherry smiled.

"Yes," Kyree replied. "Just after you went down, Sherry caught the Snitch right before she flew to your side."

"I heard the crack all the way on the other side of the field. We all thought you had died, so I quickly caught the Snitch, because if you _had_ died, I didn't want you to be gone with a loss on your conscience." She grinned. "But then you whispered something, so we knew you hadn't died. Yet, anyway."

"Do you know what you whispered?" Kyree teased. Lauren shook her head. Kyree said in a breathy, barely audible voice, "I'm sorry Adrian! I'm sorry…!"

Lauren rolled her eyes. No one noticed Adrian blush.

"Come on, Kyree," Sherry urged, trying not to laugh. "We should go before Madame Pomfrey sics a wild rabid manticore on us." The two girls waved and left.

Lauren looked down at the StormRider in her lap again. Adrian placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Lauren," he said. "I wouldn't have gotten you the broomstick if I had known…"

"It's okay, Adrian," she replied. "It isn't your fault. It's mine."

"Yours?"

"Yes, mine!" Tears ran down her cheek as her frustration and anger exploded from her chest. "I tried so hard to make sure that I would be a good captain, and so I could get on a professional Quidditch team, and then I went and blew it! This injury is going to keep me from ever doing anything again!" She sobbed as Adrian leaned over and hugged her close to his chest. "I just wish I could go back in time and make sure this never happened…"

a/n: Awww! Lots of Lauren/Adrian shipping in coming chapters… Anyway, please review if you liked it. I have the whole story planned out in my head, so there won't be too much wait on new chapters. ^_^


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